Be The Business First

In a previous blog, IT’s All About Trust, I talked about the importance of building and maintaining trust because it is the cornerstone of any relationship. As we build trust and think about how our customers feel, we need to continue our evolution of Business IQ.

As IT professionals, we are excellent at designing application, technical, security and data solutions but sometimes we lose sight of why we are designing the solution. The solutions we implement are built to enable the business and our constituents. This is why IT must Be The Business First.

Initially, being the business may seem like a difficult concept. You may think I am not a business expert or I am not sure how they handle the minute details of their operation. I have found it is not that hard when I apply three simple rules to every IT situation that I look at.

Rule 1: Don’t Break the Business

When implementing my IT solution, I always take a step back and make sure my design will not break the business. In fact, I look for potential pitfalls and mitigate my risks early.

Rule 2: Optimize the Business

Every solution implemented must equal their current performance. Ideally, the solution will improve performance. Never implement a solution that will make the business slower. A great way to improve this area is to focus on testing.

Rule 3: Automate the Business

Questions to ask yourself include: Has my solution improved the user experience on my constituents and end users? Have I automated non-value added activities so that people can focus on the citizen’s experience?

By adjusting your focus and including a business view into your execution, it will improve the quality of your overall delivery and increase customer satisfaction. Even more importantly, it will further the most precious commodity we have in IT…Trust with our Business Partners.